Jamey Dunn

Former Illinois Issues Editor

Jamey Dunn

mattpenning.com
/ NPR Illinois | 91.9 UIS

No other news initiative explains Illinois as well as Illinois Issues.

Illinois Issues is dedicated to providing in-depth analysis of public policy in our state. With a special focus on Illinois government and politics, Illinois Issues pays close attention to current trends and examines the state's quality of life.

Illinois Issues was a monthly print magazine, in continuous publication since 1975 by the University of Illinois at Springfield (formerly Sangamon State University). In 2015, it transitioned to a digital publication. Now Illinois Issues offers a weekly in-depth story, published on Thursday mornings, along with a companion radio piece that airs on NPR Illinois and other public radio stations throughout the state.

Our readers and listeners tell us they rely on Illinois Issues to keep up with Illinois government and politics. We also publish an annual up-to-date directory called the Roster of State Government Officials — a resource our readers find invaluable year-round.

This week, Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno declared, "We need change!" However, there is still no agreement among state lawmakers and Governor Bruce Rauner on what form that change should take as Illinois continues to go without a spending plan. Illinois Issues' Jamey Dunn and The State Journal-Register's Bernie Schoenburg join the panel.

With the state budget impasse ongoing, lack of money continues to affect Illinois colleges and universities as well as Chicago Public Schools. Chris Mooney, director of the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs, joins the panel.

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he wants to get the state out of legal agreements called consent decrees. The deals are a big part of the reason the government is still operating without a budget; they also impact the lives of thousands of Illinois residents. But unless you are affected by one, you've probably never heard of them.

A new analysis found that Illinois lost out on millions of dollars when it sold bonds last week.

Martin Luby, with the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs, compared the recent bond sale to one in 2006, when Illinois had a much better credit rating. This week for Past Due, Jamey Dunn talked with Luby about his report.

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget office released three-year budget projections today. According to the estimate, if Illinois remains on its current fiscal path, the sate’s backlog of unpaid bills would swell to nearly $25 billion by Fiscal Year 2019.

If that were to happen, the backlog would be equal to nearly three quarters of the state’s operating funds.

Years of mismanagement led to the state’s current fiscal crisis. A recent report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) suggests changes to the budgeting process that could help prevent future disasters.

Cash-strapped counties in Illinois are trying to call in old fines for offenses like speeding tickets. Some of their efforts have been criticized because the cases they are trying to collect on are two or three decades old.

Gov. Bruce Rauner and the four legislative leaders were supposed to meet this week for the first time since the end of the spring legislative session. Instead that meeting was postponed until December 1.

In this week's installment of Past Due, Sean Crawford sat down with Illinois Issues editor Jamey Dunn for an update on the budget impasse and how the delayed meeting could affect negotiations.

Musical acts for the state fair were paid up front while the artist who sculpted the fair’s iconic butter cow is still waiting for her check. Meanwhile, an agency that helps survivors of sexual assault is in danger of closing as it waits for funding.

On Tuesday, voters in Ohio considered whether to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana use. It would have created a new provision in the state's constitution that allowed only ten farms to grow the plant legally. That plan had its critics, and the measure failed. Many experts have their eye on Ohio - as it serves as an example of Midwestern residents trying to take on the legalization issue that has swept Colorado and the West Coast.